Redemption
by alix23
Summary: A true test of friendship. A story of love, lies, and loss. He didn't keep his promise. A NathanHaley story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I peered over my shoulder to gaze at the brackish water of the creek; I inwardly groaned at my own stupidity and began to scan my surroundings for any possible routes of escape. I shifted nervously from foot to foot trying desperately to avoid his

glance. At fourteen years old, Nathan Scott was the best-looking kid in middle school. His tall lanky frame had filled out quite nicely over the summer. It was something that I had only recently begun to notice, but I quickly dismissed it as a

temporary hormonal imbalance, silently reminding myself that it was Nathan, my confidant and best friend. Our friendship had become my lifeline over the years, and I wasn't willing to risk it over a silly crush. Lucas Roe, my other best friend,

rounded out our little trio; and we had been inseparable since the good ol' sandbox days.

It was the night before grade nine, the first day of high school, and we were spending the remaining hours of our summer at the rivercourt. The rivercourt was a place of security, a place in which some of the most pivotal moments in our lives had

taken place.

I finally gave in and glanced up at Nathan, his ocean blue eyes were twinkling with mischief, and he wore the infamous Scott smirk. I took a deep breath and began to fiddle with my disheveled hair; I plastered a guilty look on my face and gazed at

him reproachfully. "Now Nate, I think we've had a small, measly, minuscule even, misunderstanding, you might even say it was a mere miscommunication and I think you ought to reconsider the whole throwing me in the creek thing -" I paused to

take a much needed breath and continued my monologue of ramblings. Now hear me out, I've come up with 14 reasons that negate throwing me into that bacteria filled death pond, and if you give me thirty more seconds, I could easily round off

20 solid reasons and I --". His smirk began to widen with each additional rambling word, I halted mid-sentence and stared at him, he was wearing that smile, the one specifically reserved for me. My shoulders began to relax as he reached out to

ruffle my hair in a teasing fashion when a loud guffaw interrupted our moment. Lucas came waltzing over, grinning from ear to ear, "Nate, I can't say I'm surprised, you're such a pushover when it comes to our little Hales, give'r some backbone

dude." I narrowed my eyes at Lucas and began to telepathically send death threats his way. "Why don't you go back to brooding over _there_ Lucas" I motioned wildly to the picnic table on the outer edges of the rivercourt. "You are not needed

here" I said slowly, my voice dripping with mock sweetness. Lucas's light blue eyes were twinkling with laughter, the look of glee matched Nathan's perfectly. Argh, I mentally chastised myself for picking the two biggest knuckleheads as my best

friends, their favourite pastime was tag-teaming me. I began to shift strategies, carefully weighing my options, meanwhile, the boys were inching me closer and closer to the end of the dock. I made an instantaneous decision, "I caught Lucas

checking out your mom at the cafe, Nathan!" Nathan quickly turned away from me and glared at his previous ally. I triumphantly stuck my tongue out Lucas, having successfully diverted Nate's attention. And I began to clumsily ease myself away

from the boys, Lucas's voice rang out in the crisp night air "Haley doesn't think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player to ever live!" "WHAT!?" Nathan yelped, wheeling around to face me, his eyes begging me to deny the accusation. I

planted my hands on my hips; Lucas was playing dirty, it was time to bring out the big guns. "Lucas's middle name is EUGENE!" I shouted gleefully, Lucas gasped in horror, and Nathan's face was that of a child on Christmas day. "Eugene…it's

better than I ever would have dreamed possible" said Nathan keeled over laughing. "Point. Set. Match. Don't mess with me Lukey- you should know that by now" I said while winking at him. I began to skip past them on the dock, mentally patting

myself on the back that I managed to avoid getting thrown head first into the creek.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone Haley" Lucas said in a defeated tone, scuffing his worn out sneakers on the dock. I stopped mid-skip and turned around. My conscious began to scold me, and I immediately began to open my mouth to

apologize, "Lucas I'm really really sor-". "It's okay Hales, you know why?" Lucas's voice began to show signs of excitement. "Because now, I won't feel nearly as guilty about letting our friend Natey in on your little secret…." he trailed off,

watching my eyes for a sign of recognition. It was then it dawned on me, I started to bite my lip. "Lucas, have I told you lately how much I love you, I love you just like a sister would. And as a sisterly like figure, I feel the overwhelming urge to

dispense some of my loving advice…" I began to widen my eyes and clasp my hands together – . "Haaaallleeeeyyyy" whined Lucas, he began to run his hands through his hair. "Don't look at me like that, you're not playing fair." I broke eye

contact with Lucas and turned to Nathan, I began to stick out my bottom lip. Was I playing fair? No I was not, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "Oh no you don't" said Nathan, avoiding any eye contact. "That look can only be

used once a year. It's dangerous." "Yeah!" Lucas jumped into the conversation. "That look is like a free get out of jail card" he grumped. "I don't know what you two are talking about" I replied, feigning innocence. Nathan laughed, his whole face

lighting up, I took a mental snapshot of that image. It was a rare sight to see him completely uninhibited, to be carefree; those moments were becoming rare as we grew up. "How quickly we forget the Tim Smith incident." Nate said with a half-grin

on his face. "That was an accident!" I shrieked defensively. "Explain to me how punching Dim and giving him a black eye was an accident?" "Pipe down Eugene" I said frowning at the memory. "You are _so _not helping your cause right now" Lucas

replied with a raised eyebrow. "As I remember it," said Nathan, "I do recall taking the blame for the whole punching fiasco after you used the patented Haley James look on me." "Okay first of all, I still maintain that he ran headfirst into me, it was

merely a coincidence that my arm was outstretched like a fist. I can't be blamed for that." The boys smirked and shared a knowing look; they knew the beginnings of a Haley rant when they saw one. "Secondly, I recall you two dunderheads

fighting over who got to take credit for the knockout. And Nathan, you only benefited from that fight, everyone at school adored you after it. Rocky my ass." I rolled out my eyes as I watch Nathan puff out his chest in a humorous fashion. "I do

believe you are referring to all the female attention I received Hales, and I gotta tell you, they loved me before it, and they loved me after it. I mean, look at me. Really, can you even blame them? He wiggled his eyebrows at me. I snorted to keep

from laughing at him and continued. "Now let us pretend, just for a moment, that perhaps I did intentionally punch him, you know what he said to me, was horrible. It was awful and unforgiveable. I can't even bare to repeat it." I dramatized,

pretending to hiccup and cover my eyes. "You are such a goofball" said Lucas affectionately, as he slung his arm over my shoulder. I grinned at him and curtsied. "I only learn from the best, _Eugene_." I looked over at Nathan and winked at him, he

shook his head in amusement. "What exactly did Tim say that day, Lucas" said Nathan, pretending to ponder the statement. "Don't you dare" I said warningly, as I began to move towards the end of the dock. "You know what Nathan, that day is

a little bit hazy to me… wasn't it something about our little Hales and her athletic abilities?" I began to huff, "Lucas Eugene Scott, I will smother you with a pillow while you sleep, I swear to God. And you", I said continuing to stalk down the deck

towards Nathan. "Ah yes, Nathan caught me off, "I do believe that I remember now. I can not believe that Tim Smith had the audacity, the AUDACITY, to say our very own, Haley Anne James, played basketball like a…" "GIRL!" crowed Lucas

triumphantly. I turned my attention back to Lucas to ream him out when, in that split second, I realized what they had done. They had trapped me in between them on the dock. Nathan grabbed me around the waist and whispered in my ear,

"you've always been a fighter Haleybub, and I love you for it." And with that a scuffle followed. The end result was Nathan, Lucas and I falling into the river; our laughter filled the night air. Upon resurfacing from the water, I watched as Nathan

beat me out of the water and ran over to the rivercourt. As I climbed out of the water, he handed me his sweater. It was the only dry article of clothing between the three of us. Lucas was the last one out of the water. "Breakfast tomorrow?" He

questioned, smiling at the two of us. "Yes!" I said jumping up and down excitedly. "Make sure Karen makes pancakes Lucas! Oh oh, and bacon… better add some hashbrowns. I love me some hashbrowns, waving my hands around for

emphasis. Lucas laughed and shook his head in bewilderment as he headed home, "where does she put it all" he wondered. As Nathan and I watched him leave, he turned to me and wrapped me in a bear hug, He gazed down at me with those

gorgeous eyes of his. "Promise me you'll never change. Promise me that you'll always make me laugh. And more importantly, promise me that you'll always be my best friend." he said in a husky voice. I closed my eyes, and felt myself falling for

my best friend. "I promise Nathan." My voice was barely above ea whisper. He placed his hands on either side of face and kissed me on the forehead. "I will always be there for you Haley James, always."

I couldn't have known it then... but he would break his promise; and my heart in the process.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who has read my story, even more thanks goes out to those of you who reviewed. All a special shout out to all the girls at FanForum and their encouraging words. I really would like to thank a special girl named Nicole, who ultimately pushed my butt in gear, and motivated me to write. HUG**

**And lastly, the more reviews, the more I will be encouraged to update! SO PLEASE, feel free to give me feedback, criticism, encouragement, or just say hello! It is greatly appreciated! Hope you like the second installment of Redemption…**

Chapter 2

I watched the numbers change on Nathan's alarm clock through heavy-lidded eyes. I snuggled in deeper, pulling the blue comforter closer to me.

Nathan shifted slightly with my movements and groaned, "Nooooo… too early. Morning bad, school bad, getting up bad. Go back to sleep." He ordered.

I muffled the sound of my laughter with the comforter, Nathan had never been a morning person, and the fact that it was the first day of school was just going to add to that inherent grumpiness.

I knew I wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon, so I began to wriggle out of Nathan's grasp ever so slowly.

It had been well over a year since I had started sleeping at Nathan's house. I slept over at Lucas's too, but I always found that I slept better at Nathan's.

I tried sleeping in Nathan's guest bedroom once, it hadn't even been 20 minutes, and Nathan had crawled into bed beside me.

Fighting was futile, so we cut out the middle bed so to speak, and took up residence in his room.

We always woke up in the exact same position; he would crowd my side of the bed, with his arm wrapped protectively around my middle, his hand intertwined with mine.

Being that Nathan had nearly 11 inches on me, I fit perfectly in his arms, my back pressed into him, my head underneath his chin.

I began to wriggle again; his reaction time was quick, his arms tightened around me so that I could no longer move.

"Nathan, I want to get up," I pouted, thankfully my back was to him, and he couldn't see the smile on my face.

"Haley," he drawled, his voice was still thick with sleep, "you hogged the covers all night and snored, the least you can do is give me 10 more minutes of sleeping time."

I flipped over facing him, my eyes narrowed "I do not snore Nathanial Daniel Scott."

His body started to convulse with laughter, "you snore like a freight train Hales, how you can still deny it, even after Lucas and I recorded you is beyond me!"

I growled and attempted to look mad at him; his response was crossing his eyes and plastering a goofy smile on his face.

"Now go back to sleep Hales, you know I can't get back to sleep without you," he said smiling.

I allowed him to get comfortable, and just as I saw his eyes begin to droop, I rolled off the bed with comforter wrapped around me. I ran into the adjoining bathroom, and locked the door.

"Maybe you'll think twice before making fun of my sleeping habits Nathan." I said with satisfaction.

I turned on the shower, and heard the comforting sounds of him stomping grumpily around his room and muttering about having to find a new best friend.

15 minutes later we were both downstairs getting our shoes on when Dan Scott entered the room.

"Now ladies, is this going to be one of those mornings when you two engage in World War 3?" I questioned the two Scott males. Neither said a word. "Because I gotta tell you, I think I pulled a muscle in my leg the last time I dove for cover. So a little warning would be greatly appreciated this time around" I continued while rubbing my leg for emphasis.

I watched as they both began to smile at my antics. "Nathan, we have to get you conditioned for JV tryouts, we're going for a run tonight after school, got it?" Dan said while pouring his morning coffee.

Nathan's body language grew rigid and he looked at me out of the corner of his eye. When you've been best friends with someone as long as I have with Nathan, sometimes all it takes is a look to convey what the other is thinking.

I sighed, "you're lucky I like you" I mouthed to Nathan.

He grinned and winked at me, "You don't mind if I join the festivities, do you, Mr. Scott? I promise I won't run quite as fast as last time, I keep forgetting how old you're getting." I said while batting my eyes at him and flipping my hair for good measure.

"Get your weird friend out of here Nathan" Dan said, trying to cover up his laughter by taking a sip from his coffee.

"Aye aye, drill sergeant, we'll report for duty at o'16:00 hours." I saluted him and flew out the door pulling Nathan along with me.

Nathan slung his arm around my shoulder and gazed down at me with admiration, "only you could get away with calling my dad old".

"It's a gift" I replied while shrugging my shoulders.

We fell into a comfortable silence; it was one of the things I adored about our friendship. We didn't have to talk to have a connection, it was about companionship; we truly enjoyed each others company. As we approached Karen's café, I could see Lucas and his mother waving at us from the window.

"At last!" I exclaimed sliding into the booth across from Lucas and Karen.

"It took us forever to get here, the traffic was just horrible." I complained while grabbing a bagel and slathering some cream cheese on it.

"Haley, it took us 8 minutes to walk here" Nathan said with amusement. "Yes, it does Nathan… that's 480 whole seconds without nourishment. I honestly contemplated taking out old Mrs. Jefferson because she was dawdling on the crosswalk." I said in a mock serious tone.

The three of them chuckled as we started the first day of school tradition. Half an hour later the three of us were making our way towards the doors of Tree Hill High School, a massive group of girls were heading our way.

"Natey, there you are!" A girl, who I can only presume was the ring leader of the group, walked up to Nathan and placed a hand in his arm. That girl has more makeup on then Bobo the clown I thought to myself.

"How was your summer? I had a totally awesome summer myself!: She continued in a breathy voice.

"Uh yeah, it was cool" Nathan said, nodding his head for emphasis while desperately trying to make eye contact with me.

I just continued to look at the ground, I was very close to laughing, and if I had looked up at Nate, I would have lost it.

"Cool, we'll like, have to catch up, and you can give me the 411 on your summer" she squealed with excitement. Her and her cronies fluttered off, while casting adoring gazes back at Nathan.

"Oh Natey, you're so dreamy, do you think you could give _me_ the 411 on your summer, mine was like, super duper awesome" said Lucas in a high-pitched tone.

Nathan frowned at Lucas, and looked at me, "please, please don't help him, he said pleadingly."

"Of course not Nate, I wouldn't dream of it. After all, it is fairly immature." I said.

They both raised their eyebrows at me questioningly.

"However, I do have one question for you Nate," I said while trying desperately to maintain a straight face.

"Where exactly do I submit my application to become one your groupies?" I said grinning, I clasped my hands together and emulated the annoying girl's voice "Because, I think you're like totally awesome, especially when you put that big orange thing through the circle thing, I totally love it when you do that."

Nathan groaned while Lucas gave me a high five.

"Pretty proud of yourself, aren't you?" Nathan said with a smirk. I nodded in response.

"Well, as much as I would love to stay and chat with you Hales, it's about time you get to the brain program" Nathan said.

I sighed, "It's an enrichment program Nathan, and I already told you, if I had a choice in the matter – I wouldn't be in it.

He reached over and placed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Don't worry Hales; it's only for the first half of the day." He said sweetly.

"You don't even like us that much anyways Haley, you'll come to welcome the break from us," Lucas chimed in.

"Shoo", I waved off my two best friends, "you've put in your daily friend time, get along now." "I shook my head in amusement as they blew me exaggerated kisses from down the hallway.

I took a deep breath and entered learning resource room.

I didn't know it at the time, but I was about to meet three people who change my life forever.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**Thanks again lovely ladies!**


	3. Chapter 3

**GREETINGS TO ALL MY WONDERFUL READERS! I know I promised that Haley would be meeting three people that would change her life forever in this chapter, but I decided to introduce a different subplot instead. I hope you all enjoy it, but I promise the next chapter will include those three special people. I adore all your reviews, I LOVE THEM. I also love your guesses, keep them coming. Be forewarned, this chapter is slightly depressing….**

**Please let me know if you would like me to continue the story, I need to hear your opinions, they encourage me to update on a regular basis **

**Your comments DO MATTER to me!**

**_A special thanks to: _****_Starlight77_********_luvnaley23_********_bRuCaS.mAtchmAdeInHeAVen.nA..._********_sfinn23_********_RedMagic_********_AlysonF87_****_ (You're the best sweets!), _****_LaFilmeMichelle_********_SLUVER15_********_loppabelle_********_CCScott23_********_Tutorgirl05_****_! YOU GUYS ROCK!_**

"What in the Sam hill are you doing, girlie? Questioned Whitey Durham, coach and educator at Tree Hill High School.

I groaned inwardly at my luck, Whitey was the last person I wanted to see at the moment.

I whipped around to face the aging man, "The only reason you're still alive is to torture me, isn't it? I grumped crossing my arms in defiance.

"You know, they say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?" Whitey returned with a big old smile on his face.

"Ah ha!" I exclaimed with exuberance. "So you agree- someone who exercises the lowest form of wit can not possibly be 'enrichment program' material." I said while clasping my hands together in mock despair.

Whitey began to clear his throat to rebuff my statement when I cut him off.

"Although, I heard that the person who nominated me isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer himself, if you catch my drift." I smirked while winking at him.

Whitey growled and flicked me in the ear. "Get in the classroom sass mouth!" He barked.

I attempted to stand my ground and engage in a stare down. He raised his eyebrow at me. Now, I want to make one thing clear, it was not that I was scared of him… but having known Whitey my entire life, I knew where to draw the line.

I scampered into the classroom with him chuckling behind me. I skulked to the back of the room, as far away from the teacher's desk as I could get.

"Why hello there my dear! Cried an incredibly perky teacher. She made her way towards my desk in record time.

That does it, god hates me, I surmised.

"Aw, sweetie, I know the first day of school is always hard. But I encourage you to 'turn that frown upside down'. I'm new here at THS, my name is Ms. Moonshine, and let me tell you a little secret, I'm just as nervous as you are!" She chirped happily.

She's definitely on percocet, I mused to myself. I subtly moved my desk back a few inches. Distance was good, distance was safe.

What's your name pretty lady?" She asked inquisitively.

I shot a horrified look at Whitey, who was laughing so hard that he had to hold onto a desk to keep from falling over. "Haley" I mumbled with embarrassment.

Ms. Moonshine caught my glace at Coach and bounced over to him. "Allow me to guess, you must be Haley's grandpa. What a sweet old man to escort your granddaughter to class. I can ask someone to help you find your way back out, tt's a pretty big place and pretty darn easy to get lost in," she said slowly as if talking to a toddler.

That put a stop to Whitey's laughter, and his eyes began to narrow.

"Karma" I mouthed to him. He rolled his eyes at me and began to walk out of the classroom.

"Bye Grandpa!" I shouted. "Just follow the signs that say EXIT, they're lit up and red. Just take it slowly, step by step.

I watched triumphantly as Whitey's face grew pink.

"Now where did your walker go? Did you misplace it again? Silly Grandpa" I said happily.

His face was now a wonderful shade of red. He whipped back around and marched over to Ms. Moonshine.

"That child is in no way related to me. In fact, I'm entirely convinced that she is the spawn of Satan," he glowered at me.

"Oh, and if two young boys, a blonde and brunette, come to the door asking for this troublemaker", he said while motioning to me, "give 'em detention immediately. They cause havoc, and together, they're like the three damn stooges," he muttered while striding out of the room. 

Ms Moonshine turned back to me, a shocked expression on her face. I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't think he took his medication this morning" I explained while hiding a smile.

I looked around the classroom; there were about eight other students in total. Ms. Moonshine had just finished explaining that we were the guinea pigs of a new program that THS was implementing.

Two students were selected from each grade level to participate; the curriculum material presented with was far more advanced than the course material their fellow peers would take.

Haley had the opportunity to finish high school in three years time, which would qualify her for several merit scholarships.

Haley had never worried about money.

The accident had changed all that.

Haley's whole world had collapsed from under her.

Haley closed her eyes, trying to block out the memories. It had been over a year since the accident, but the memories still haunted her.

They began flooding back….

I giggled as he danced around the rivercourt with vigor after successfully teaching me how to shoot my very first granny shot.

I remember the celebration after sinking a basket all on my own; he had picked me up and spun me around until we were both dizzy from laughter.

He held out his hand, his comforting smile eased my nerves.

"Daddy, I hate dancing, I'm so clumsy. Why do I have to do this?" I heard my self asking.

I can still hear his laugh, loud and booming, infectious and kind.

"Well Miss Haleybub, you want to be a basketball player, right?" He said kindly.

"Yeppers, me, Nathan, and Lucas are all going to be in the NBA," I said happily.

"The best basketball players are graceful and quick on their feet sweetheart, that's why I'm teaching you how to dance" he said matter-of-factly.

I wrinkled my nose, "Daddy, no offense or anything, but you're really bad at this whole dancing thing.

He began to chuckle, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "You keep stepping on my toes" I continued wagging my finger at him.

My grin matched his; it was like staring into a mirror. There was nothing in the world that I loved more than making my dad laugh.

"Well I have the perfect remedy for that missy!" He chortled good-naturedly.

"Get on" he said motioning to his feet. I grinned at his antics and stepped on his toes. He twirled me around for hours that night, laughing the entire time.

I awoke from my reverie; the overwhelming sadness began to resurface. I despised the memories. The memories served as a constant reminder of him, he had been my world, and I would never get him back.

And that was the most crushing feeling of all.

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**

**Where is Haley's mom in all of this?**

**Who are the three new characters?**

**Why does Haley know Whitey so well?**


End file.
